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Why Do We Aspire To Communicate Cross-Culturally?

One may ask why people communicate with each other and what is the purpose behind cross-cultural communication? Why is language translation important and why do we need translation services? We will try to find out the answers to all these questions in this article. Firstly, communication, especially cross-cultural communication enables us to learn about the other person and his cultural values. Because in cross-cultural communication we are mainly interacting with strangers. But one faces many hurdles in cross-cultural communication, among them language barrier is the foremost. To overcome this obstacle, we have many translation services companies.

Sociologists have proved through their studies that man is a “social animal” and communication with others satisfies a great many of our needs. It gives us a sense of power, provides us with affection, attention and love that we need as humans. But apart from benefiting individually, communication also benefits nations. Trade agreements, foreign investments and other mutually advantageous transactions between countries cannot take place without communication. All the recent trade agreements between America and China requiredChinese to English translation and vice versa. Certified translation is needed by the governments to proceed in agreements with other countries. We have many occasions where reputed companies like Chicago translation services and Cincinnati translation services have played a viable role in translating official state documents.

Anthropologists, historians and sciologists also agree on the point that communication has its other uses too. For instance, communication establishes personal identities. When we communicate with others, certain things about our own personalities dawn upon us. Whether we communicate individually, or in a group or on a national level with other people outside our circle, we are always defining and determining our own identities in the process. This is how we spread our religious and cultural ideologies across the border. Contact with an analyst from the marketing analysts helped us know a lot about how translation plays its role in establishing personal/cultural identities. A country’s literature and writings are a good way to delve deep into its culture and customs. So we can say that literature defines a country culturally. And translations of those literary works are an insight into the culture of a country.

Lastly, communication is the only way to influence others. It maybe verbal or non-verbal communication. But without any communication, we cannot leave any positive or negative impact on people. A teacher influences her/his pupils by communicating with them through his/her lecture. Similarly a businessman sells his produce by persuading others to buy it, explaining them the utility of his commodities. Every day we communicate with other people and influence them in some way. Scholars have declared communication as an “instrumental goal” which we use in order to “get others to behave in ways we want.”

All these above purposes are achieved when we communicate with others. Without communication there would be no distinction between humans and animals. Even this isn’t a right comparison because animals also communicate in their own way. So every living being needs to communicate within its environment. With humans, this communication takes place on a much higher level. And communication, language and translation are all interconnected.